While you sleep tonight...

[Sunny Side Up]

While you sleep tonight, there will be chicks hatching under my broody bantam hen Biscuit. A few hours ago, when we went to latch up all the pens, we noticed a few empty eggshells already pushed out of the nest. There were suspicious rustlings under Biscuit's feathers but no one peeked out. I just checked on her again, before I go to sleep, and found a few more empties beside the nest and saw the faces of FOUR cute lil' fuzz-bombs peeking out at me.

Biscuit is a golden-brown mixed-breed bantam who has hatched out many clutches already. Her last set was duck eggs, she hatched out 4 Khaki Campbell ducklings we're now calling The Biscuits, they're now about 12 weeks old.

This time I gave her 10 eggs from a friend's Buff Rock flock. I had sold him a huge Buff Rock roo last year, I'm hoping to get some nice layers & big meaties from these chicks. Another banty hatched out 5 of these chicks a few weeks ago, nice golden-yellow fuzz-bombs that look especially cute huddling under their black-brown bantam Mama (her name is Tarantula, my boys named her that when she was a dark fuzzy chick).

I'm interested to see how many of the 10 eggs I gave to Biscuit will hatch. She did a fantastic job of covering them in the nest. I hope you have a good night's sleep, I'm sure Biscuit won't get much rest, but she'll have a good reason for needing that extra cup of coffee in the morning.

 

[ozark hen]

how fun for you in the morning! Congrats!!

 

[journey11]

What a cute name...Biscuit.

 

[PunkinPeep]

How exciting for you! Congratulations!
And great thread title. I just had to come and see what it was about!

 

[txchickie]

Awww!!!! Tell Biscuit I said congratulations!

How exciting!!!!

 

[gumpsgirl]

So how many babies do you have this morning?!?!

 

[ozark hen]

 

[lisameeks]

Can you answer some questions for me--seems like you've done this before. I have a broody Comet that stayed broody for several months inspite of all I did to break her. Someone suggested I give her some fertilized eggs to hatch. I called our local hatchery yesterday and was told if I didn't want to wait until February, I had to get the eggs right then, that very afternoon. So, I haven't had a lot of time to plan. Yesterday I put 6 fertilized comet eggs under her and she's sitting on them. Here are my questions.
1. right now she's in the regular coop under the droppings pit board in the corner--should I move her somewhere else, like a special pen. Should the special pen be warmed up more than I would regularly do for a healthy grown bird?
2. if she's allowed to stay in the coop with the other birds while sitting the nest, when the eggs hatch, should she and the chicks be separated from the other 6 hens (1 1/2 years old) or can she protect the chicks
3. if we're separating the mom and chicks from the rest of the flock, will the chicks need a brood light (like I had when I bought day old chicks) or does mom keep them warm? Does mom teach them to drink? How do I integrate the chicks with the grown flock? at what age can they be integrated?
4. she's disinclined to get off the eggs--how do I make sure she's getting food and water? we tried to feed her scrambled eggs and feed last night--no interest-- and have a small waterer set up real near her. I'm worried she's not taking care of herself.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Awwww. I think one of the babies should be named Crumpet.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Congratulations to Biscuit for a great job well done!

This little bantam got all 10 standard-sized eggs to hatch!!!

Unfortunately, one of the chicks was a quitter right from the start, it's always especially heartbreaking to see a chick that developed fully, got itself all the way out of its shell, & dried off nice & fluffy, only to weaken & die. But there must have been other things wrong with it that I couldn't detect, it's now helping a new tree to grow in the yard.

But the other 9 chicks are all doing fine, looking like an Easter basket come to life. The cuteness quotient is 'way off the charts around here now, I also have a Khaki Campbell duck who just hatched out 4 lil' ducklings that look like tub toys bobbing in their pool.

I WISH I could post the photos here! You'll just have to imagine it for yourself...